May Zizic be the answer to our questions?

[hwangjini_1]

The people who dominate this blog are extremely bitter! How many words did they spill on something in which they were completely wrong?

This is a great day. Danny is very smart to hoard assets and watch them grow.

I'll be surprised if Ainge does nothing. If that's what happens, I'll still be fairly happy going into the playoffs with Amir, Al and Kelly for this year if they are healthy. It is what it is. This may turn out to be nothing more than a bridge year in which all we can hope for is to get lucky- to at least win a series or two, not get swept in round one or only win two games like last year. We are just about wrapping up the rebuilding part from the Pierce/Garnett era. The Celtics' future remains very bright.

Zizic is impressive and we are going to be a much better team with him next year. I think he'll provide a much better result than Jaylen Brown is doing at his own position in a rookie year. Not that I'm negative on Brown. He is going to become amazing in a year or two.

Maybe the key center piece won't arrive until the 2018 Brooklyn pick or Danny makes a quicker move to reinforce the team for bigs. That's the thing. No one can predict anything. No one knows the future.

I am not putting all my hope into Zizic, but he seems to have more potential than all the others tried before him with the exception of perhaps Perk and a little bit of PJ Brown who was quality, albeit approaching the running on fumes end of his career. I wanted PJ to come back for 2009 after KG got hurt. It obviously didn't happen. I felt betrayed by PJ, but that's now from a long time ago.

Center is clearly Danny's blind spot, but it is also the toughest position to fill. Cousins was not worth the hassle.

People are upset with us not trading for Cousins because they wasted so much time discussing him and it never came close to happening. I spent a day or two hopeful for Sanders. When it didn't happen, I let it go. Those who wanted Cousins have bruised egos.

They are probably also upset the Celtics are currently a top five NBA team on a trajectory towards contending for titles year after year for many, many years.

This blog is basically broken.

not entirely. there are many good to outstanding posters here.

[Ilikesports17]

a bit of a bummer that he lacks lateral quickness.

Over the next 3 years we really shouldnt be playing Al at the PF and it doesnt sound like Zizic can defend the position either so you cant play them together.

Obviously thats getting a bit ahead of ourselves and all in all his development has been really encouraging.

If hes valued as a late Lotto pick this year thats tremendous news.

[oldtype]

a bit of a bummer that he lacks lateral quickness.

Over the next 3 years we really shouldnt be playing Al at the PF and it doesnt sound like Zizic can defend the position either so you cant play them together.

Obviously thats getting a bit ahead of ourselves and all in all his development has been really encouraging.

If hes valued as a late Lotto pick this year thats tremendous news.

Given that he has quick feet, I think lateral quickness can be taught.  He's not a slow, plodding guy by any means.

[BitterJim]

The people who dominate this blog are extremely bitter! How many words did they spill on something in which they were completely wrong?

This is a great day. Danny is very smart to hoard assets and watch them grow.

I'll be surprised if Ainge does nothing. If that's what happens, I'll still be fairly happy going into the playoffs with Amir, Al and Kelly for this year if they are healthy. It is what it is. This may turn out to be nothing more than a bridge year in which all we can hope for is to get lucky- to at least win a series or two, not get swept in round one or only win two games like last year. We are just about wrapping up the rebuilding part from the Pierce/Garnett era. The Celtics' future remains very bright.

Zizic is impressive and we are going to be a much better team with him next year. I think he'll provide a much better result than Jaylen Brown is doing at his own position in a rookie year. Not that I'm negative on Brown. He is going to become amazing in a year or two.

Maybe the key center piece won't arrive until the 2018 Brooklyn pick or Danny makes a quicker move to reinforce the team for bigs. That's the thing. No one can predict anything. No one knows the future.

I am not putting all my hope into Zizic, but he seems to have more potential than all the others tried before him with the exception of perhaps Perk and a little bit of PJ Brown who was quality, albeit approaching the running on fumes end of his career. I wanted PJ to come back for 2009 after KG got hurt. It obviously didn't happen. I felt betrayed by PJ, but that's now from a long time ago.

Center is clearly Danny's blind spot, but it is also the toughest position to fill. Cousins was not worth the hassle.

People are upset with us not trading for Cousins because they wasted so much time discussing him and it never came close to happening. I spent a day or two hopeful for Sanders. When it didn't happen, I let it go. Those who wanted Cousins have bruised egos.

They are probably also upset the Celtics are currently a top five NBA team on a trajectory towards contending for titles year after year for many, many years.

This blog is basically broken.

not entirely. there are many good to outstanding posters here.

That seems to be based on the thought that "if you don't agree with me 100%, you disagree with me 100%", or that disagreement on the forum is an inherantly bad thing (rather than the source of 99% of actual discussion).  For exampls, apparently I don't like Zizic/think he has a good future because I don't think he was the reason we didn't trade for Cousins

[Darío SpanishFan]

As we say in Spain, between black and white there are so many kinds of grey.

I've already explained that the purpose of this thread was not to pinpoint Zizic as a future star, but to propose another unread theory about our not-trade of DMC. And it is that the Croatian teen is further ahead in his development than many think and it has "helped" our management stand pat.

The latest reports of draft analysts suggesting he would be chosen about number nine this year, in a very good class, may back my point. I'm sure many teams are asking Danny to include Zizic in blockbuster trades.

[Surferdad]

As we say in Spain, between black and white there are so many kinds of grey.

I've already explained that the purpose of this thread was not to pinpoint Zizic as a future star, but to propose another unread theory about our not-trade of DMC. And it is that the Croatian teen is further ahead in his development than many think and it has "helped" our management stand pat.

The latest reports of draft analysts suggesting he would be chosen about number nine this year, in a very good class, may back my point. I'm sure many teams are asking Danny to include Zizic in blockbuster trades.

Agree.  Zizic is not THE answer, he is ONE answer.  Celtics still need another go-to scorer.  Among other things (rebounding, defense, rim protection), Cousins would have solved that problem too.  Now the team will move in a different direction for more scoring.

[Ilikesports17]

As we say in Spain, between black and white there are so many kinds of grey.

I've already explained that the purpose of this thread was not to pinpoint Zizic as a future star, but to propose another unread theory about our not-trade of DMC. And it is that the Croatian teen is further ahead in his development than many think and it has "helped" our management stand pat.

The latest reports of draft analysts suggesting he would be chosen about number nine this year, in a very good class, may back my point. I'm sure many teams are asking Danny to include Zizic in blockbuster trades.

TP for an Excellent quote!

[chilidawg]

As we say in Spain, between black and white there are so many kinds of grey.

I've already explained that the purpose of this thread was not to pinpoint Zizic as a future star, but to propose another unread theory about our not-trade of DMC. And it is that the Croatian teen is further ahead in his development than many think and it has "helped" our management stand pat.

The latest reports of draft analysts suggesting he would be chosen about number nine this year, in a very good class, may back my point. I'm sure many teams are asking Danny to include Zizic in blockbuster trades.

Agree.  Zizic is not THE answer, he is ONE answer.  Celtics still need another go-to scorer.  Among other things (rebounding, defense, rim protection), Cousins would have solved that problem too.  Now the team will move in a different direction for more scoring.

Exactly, which is why we continue to go after guys like Butler and George.  I'm excited about Zizic, but he's an incremental improvement, not a transcendent one.

[nickagneta]

Zizic has shown signs of potential to be a good NBA player. The key words there are potential and good. He will need time to develop and depending on how he acclimates himself to the NBA, might spend a bunch of time next year shuttling between Boston and Maine. He is a piece for the future.

Cousins would have been a piece for the present. He would have started immediately and for as long as he was on the team because he would have been one of the two most important players on the team. Cousins would have started next season and Zizic would have competed to be his backup.

Viewed in that light its pretty easy to see that the decision to not trade for DMC had NOTHING to do with Zizic. The decision to not trade for Cousins had everything to do with Cousins, his on court and locker room problems and nothing to do with the fact that the Celtics are bringing in an undeveloped rookie who immediately projects to be a backup.

And don't take this as me not liking Zizic or being negative about his future. Bigs take longer to develop. His upside ceiling is somewhere between Steven Adams and Robin Lopez. That's darn good. Zizic most likely isn't getting to that level for a couple to three years. That's all great stuff. But it has absolutely nothing to do why the C's didn't bring in Cousins.